


First Christmas (What's Important)

by theianitor



Category: formula 1 - Fandom
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Holidays, M/M, Snow, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, did i mention the fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21822502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theianitor/pseuds/theianitor
Summary: A few polite phrases and a short description of where they lived later, Robert hung up, but looked at his phone for a while longer.“Who was it?”“It was Fernando,” he said, finally looking up again. “He was going to go home, today, but the airport has been closed. So he was going to go to the next airport, but the road is not safe.”(Robert and Inkeri are celebrating their first christmas alone, but the weather leads to some unexpected guests.)
Relationships: Fernando Alonso/Mark Webber, Jenson Button/Nico Rosberg (mentioned), Robert Kubica/Inkeri Pedersen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14
Collections: Motorsport Secret Santa 2019





	First Christmas (What's Important)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xoxodelvidestruction](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoxodelvidestruction/gifts).



> Hi Del. ;)  
> Okay, so I said I would, and I did. You know I had to. I hope you like it, and that you have a very nice holiday! <3  
> And I hope the rest of you like the story as well. Call your dentists. Thanks, as always, to Rabbit for setting the whole thing up! You're a gem!

“It is coming down like crazy!” Robert called, stomping his feet to get the snow off his boots. Inkeri came around the corner just as he was taking his cap off and opening the door again to shake the snow off of that, too.

“Well you’ve certainly brought in enough wood for it to keep snowing,” she said, putting the kitchen towel she’d been holding over her shoulder, and picking up the Ikea bag filled with firewood.

“It is better to be prepared,” he replied, smiling as she huffed away towards the living room with the heavy bag. The heating in the house wasn’t lacking in any way, but Robert liked to be prepared. The way it was snowing, it was unlikely they’d even get out of the drive unless they put in a few hours of shoveling tomorrow.

“I didn’t expect so much snow here,” he said when he came into the kitchen. “Poland, yes. But in England? No.”

“It snows in England!”

“No it _rains_ in England,” he smirked. Inkeri shook her head and turned back to the pot of stew on the stove, but made no further comment – in part because she knew it was an argument she would lose. It _did_ rain a lot in England, put it had other perks. She knew Robert liked it there too, despite still calling Krakow ‘home’ when he talked about it.

The house had been something of a lucky find. It was out of the way, but still not too far from the nearest bigger town – and not too far from Oxfordshire, either. The previous owner had modernized and renovated, and it had taken Robert a good bit of time and money to get some of the old, rustic charm back from the straight angles and stainless steel of ‘trendy interior design’. He still spoke the words with a sneer. Sleek lines and chrome details belonged on cars; homes were meant to be lived in.

Inkeri had fully agreed. Even the first time she’d seen the house, she’d fallen in love with it. It was warm and cozy, with a simple style which made it feel instantly like home. Last year, however, she had been invited to spend christmas with Frank and her Williams family, while Robert had gone back to Poland to visit his relatives. They hadn’t even decorated, since neither would be back in the house for at least two weeks.

This year they had thoroughly made up for it. Saying no to another invite from Uncle Frank had been a no-brainer, and Inkeri still teased Robert mercilessly about being nervous to ask her to spend christmas with him.

“As if you thought I’d say no!” she’d say, crossing her arms in mock-offense. Each time he would look away, but usually give her a comeback, always with a sly smile. Lately his favorite had become “well, I can never know with you.”

He’d gotten a real christmas tree and they had decorated it pretty lavishly. It had felt good to hang christmas curtains and lights all over the house, set up candles, write cards, and prepare for a proper holiday, even though it would only be the two of them. At times it still felt a little bit like playing house, cuddled up together in front of the fire, talking about future prospects and what they wanted for christmas.

They talked while the pot simmered on, the snow falling outside like they were in a particularly well-filled snowglobe, and Robert clicked around on his phone for a bit.

“They look like they are having fun,” he said, holding his phone up for her to see. It was a selfie of Jenson and Nico in front of a wide christmas tree which was absolutely covered in strands of glittery golden garlands. Jenson was wearing a santa hat and Nico had a shirt with shiny little baubles on it, his nose scrunched up in laughter.

“They do,” Inkeri agreed. It was still a little strange to see Nico, now a grown man and not the little boy who had first started at Williams Racing so long ago. “I don’t know about celebrating christmas in summer heat though.”

Beyond the tree in the picture they could see the back yard, completely devoid of snow, the grass looking lush and green and probably in need of a mowing.

“They’re staying in California for the holidays then?”

“No, they will go to Finland for the new years,” Robert said, clicking the picture to send a comment to them. “I hope they can still go, if the weather is like this everywhere.”

“Hang on,” she said, rounding on him. “Where’s your shirt?”

“I took it off when I got in?”

“It’s a christmas sweater, you have to wear it for christmas!”

“Christmas is tomorrow,” he replied. “And it is silly.”

“It is _not_ ,” she argued. “It’s funny. Please? Pretty please?”

With a sigh, he got up and left for the hallway, coming back wearing the knitted, dark green shirt she’d laughed herself silly about in the shop before getting it for him. On the front, there was a big appliqué of a red and white pole with a big golden ball on top. Up top, big letters said ‘Welcome to the North Pole’

“Are you happy?” he asked, spreading his arms and letting her laugh it up.

“Very.” She tried to calm down a little but was still giggling when she gave him a hug.

After dinner they settled in the living room, barely watching a christmas movie they had both seen plenty of times before. Both their phones kept pinging from time to time with well-wishes and season’s greetings, pictures of old colleagues and friends from all over the world. A fair few were lamenting the state of the English roads and reported similar issues from all over Europe, but at least none of them had far to travel the day before christmas.

Some ways through the movie, just as the couch was getting comfortable enough for a short nap before bed, Robert’s phone started ringing.

“Hm,” he said, looking at the caller. Normally, he would get up and leave the room to talk on the phone, not out of secrecy but just to not disturb Inkeri in whatever she might be doing. Now he remained seated when he answered.

“Hello?”

Someone on the other end spoke, the garbled sound of a man’s voice that Inkeri couldn’t make out.

“It is very good to hear from you too, my friend!” Robert said happily. The garbled voice continued, in a lighter tone. “Happy christmas to you as well!”

Just as she’d concluded that it was some old friend calling, Robert’s face fell.

“You are where?” He looked concerned. “That is not... they are not clearing the roads, only the big...” he paused as the other man spoke. “No, no that is not far from here, you should just come. It will be safer, you will... yes, yes, it is fine.” He glanced at Inkeri, who raised an eyebrow in question. He shook his head at her, and continued to speak into the phone. “Yes, just come, drive careful.”

A few polite phrases and a short description of where they lived later, Robert hung up, but looked at his phone for a while longer.

“Who was it?”

“It was Fernando,” he said, finally looking up again. “He was going to go home, today, but the airport has been closed. So he was going to go to the next airport, but the road is not safe.”

“So you told him he could come here?”

She realized her tone had been a bit harsh at the look on his face. To be honest, it was more surprise than anything else. Robert and Fernando had always been good friends, but had lost touch since Fernando had left F1. While Robert had insisted that he didn’t want to bother Fernando, who had gone on to seek other championships and was very busy, there had been no convincing him that Fernando might be thinking the exact same thing.

“I mean it’s fine, we have room,” she quickly added. “I’m just surprised that he’s in England at all?”

“I don’t know,” Robert said, looking relieved, still holding his phone in his hands like it might ring again at any moment. “But he should be coming in about... a half hour? Maybe more, the roads are really bad now, he said.”

Inkeri looked to the window. It was pitch black outside, but from the light of the big paper star she had hung there, she could see the snowflakes dancing around outside, big and soft, still resolutely refusing to stop falling. She wouldn’t have wanted to be out driving in this, and she definitely wouldn’t have wanted Robert to be. If they’d already stopped clearing the smaller roads in favor of keeping the big routes driveable, their little offshoot would soon be near enough invisible, and certainly undrivable for someone who wasn’t used to it.

“Well he’d better hurry,” she said, getting up to go to the kitchen and put the kettle on. A cup of tea settled any nerves.

They were coming up on an hour later when they heard a car in the driveway, the sound muffled by the still-falling snow. Robert had gotten up as soon as they’d seen the first hint of lights outside to clear the stoop, and Inkeri heard him greet Fernando. Then there were more voices talking.

“... very happy you could make it,” Robert was saying as he came back in, snow on his cap again, and there was snow up above his bootleg. “Ink made tea.”

Once he stepped out of the way he revealed Fernando Alonso, repeatedly stomping his feet with short little steps to get the snow off his pants and vividly reminding Inkeri of some kind of fast-paced dancing. Behind him, only visible because he was that much taller, stood Mark Webber.

“Hiya,” he said, waving, looking around a little awkwardly. “Sorry to bust in on you like this.”

“That’s alright,” Inkeri said, staying back to let Robert get out of the way so the other two could hang their jackets and hats. “It’s better that you’re here than trying to drive in this.”

“Is okay to drive in,” Fernando said, shrugging. Mark shook his head, rolling his eyes.

“It’s not, but getting _him_ to admit it... you’d have a better chance trying to get it to stop snowing, mate.”

“Is _perfectly_ fine,” Fernando started, rounding on Mark. He winced as his socked foot ended up in one of the snowy wet spots on the carpet.

“It’s not.” Mark smiled down at Fernando and clapped him on the shoulder. It looked a bit like he wanted to pull him into a hug, but might not dare it for his own safety’s sake. “But it’s really nice of you two to take us in for a bit, we’ll be out of your hair as soon as we can.”

Robert made a face. “In this? No, you will have to spend the night, at least. I am sorry about you having to be here for christmas...”

“That’s alright,” Mark assured, stepping past Fernando to come inside properly and give Inkeri a hug in greeting. She didn’t miss how his eyes stayed for a moment on Robert, still wearing his ‘North Pole’ christmas sweater. He cleared his throat. “Sorry to bust in, like I said.”

Once everyone had been seen to cups of tea and some sandwiches, they settled in the living room again, still ignoring the television but keeping it on for the light and noise if nothing else.

“We _were_ going to the Oxford airport, everything all nice and booked, and then we get there and nah, no way, nothing’s coming off the ground ‘cus of the snow.”

Robert nodded sympathetically, Inkeri shook her head.

“They really should have told you earlier, they must have known. They could at least have offered another flight!”

“Oh, they did!” Fernando said. “They say, you go to the other airport.” He struck his hands out. “Because they say Heathrow, they are still flying. So we go to Heathrow, and of course, they are not flying.”

“Of course,” Robert sighed.

“So _they_ tell us to go to Cotsford, Cotsworth, something, who fucking knows,” Mark continues. “And it’s this tiny little... I mean there’s zero chance anything’s flying out of there and by now, the roads are getting really hairy, so we’re just trying to find someplace to park that isn’t a snowbank...”

“And we are very, very grateful that you have room to take us in for tonight,” Fernando finished, looking from one to the other of them and nodding.

“It is not a problem,” Robert said, holding his hand up, making any further gratitude unnecessary. “I am just sorry you will not be getting to spend christmas at home.”

“Nah that’s alright mate,” Mark said, leaning back against the sofa and stretching his arm out behind Fernando. “That’s not what makes it christmas. Besides, all the shopping’s done, most of the stuff is in the car.”

“Is a bit sad about the food and everything though.” Fernando picked at the couch cushion.

“We have more food than we need, it is not a problem.” Robert raised his hand again, allowing no argument. “We have no presents for you though.”

Mark and Inkeri started laughing, and conversation moved on to christmasses past, good and bad gifts, and all the things that could go right and wrong with celebrations.

“... and it has a separate... thing, for the pulp.” The way Fernando pronounced the word made Inkeri snicker, not because his English was faulty, but because it was so clear he had picked it up from a commercial somewhere. “So the juice is in one place and all the pulp is in another place, and you can make sirup or vinaigrette, and anything you would like with it!”

His face had lit up, truly like a kid at christmas, at the sight of their coffee machine. It was the one thing with chrome details and a light-up touchscreen that Robert allowed in the house, and he only grudgingly admitted that he quite loved the smell and taste of fresh, professionally prepared coffee in the morning. Fernando had seen it and spun into a long and detailed description of some new kind of juicer he’d seen and really wanted.

“Are you talking _her_ ear off about that machine now?” Mark put the plates down on the counter, shaking his head and chuckling. “Nando, you’ve talked about nothing else for a solid month.”

“Is a very good machine,” Fernando grumbled.

“You should have just gotten it for him for christmas, Mark,” Inkeri chimed in, putting their things away in the dishwasher. Fernando shot Mark a look, and Mark shook his head again.

“Not you too.”

“What? That’s one of the things about christmas, you know, getting some nice gifts.”

“Yeah but they’re supposed to be a surprise!” Mark countered.

“Would be surprised,” Fernando said, still in the same grumbling tone. Mark seemed to soften somewhat and made sure Fernando didn’t have anything fragile in his hands before pulling him into a hug.

“I promise you’ll be happy _and_ surprised with the presents I got you.”

“Hm.”

Inkeri started laughing again, and then showed them to the spare bedroom.

The next morning dawned with the surrounding environment covered in dunes of glittering snow. While the snowfall had slowed somewhat, it was still coming down.

“They said on the news that they have kept clearing the big roads, but our little road,” he motioned for the window where the road outside was completely hidden. “They are not going to do it today, at least.”

“Guess we’re stuck here,” Mark said with a sigh.

“We will of course pay you for the food and everything-”

“Don’t be silly, it’s better you’re here than stuck at the airport, or worse.” Inkeri pressed the screen on the coffee machine and it set to work creating another cup of smoking liquid energy.

“Alright, at least let us help out around the house. I know my way around a kitchen.”

Robert looked like he was about to protest, but Inkeri crossed her arms.

“You’re on.”

Fernando disappeared with Robert to make more firewood, because, as Robert said, “you can never have too much wood for the fire”. He still seemed reluctant to let the guests do any work though, and reminded Mark to not let Inkeri boss him around too much.

“Fat chance, mate,” Mark joked. When Inkeri put him to work peeling potatoes, he claimed it was only in revenge for his remark.

“Sorry again,” he said after they’d been quiet together for a moment, between talk about ‘Old Frank’ and the Williams family they had in common and other people they both know from the circuit.

“Don’t, it’s not a problem.”

“I got the feeling it was your first holiday alone in the house,” he said, plopping another peeled spud into the pot of water. “Now you’re gonna have to wait another year for it.”

“It’s not a big deal, really.”

“Nah, I guess that’s not what it’s about, right?”

Inkeri looked around, at the christmas curtains and lights in the window, the snow outside it, the candle holders, the light from the tree visible from the living room, and the stack of christmas sausages and meatballs in front of her on the counter. They really had gone overboard on the food, but the thought made her smile. It was almost as if they’d counted on having company; had it just been the two of them, they’d be eating christmas dinner until well into February.

“No, I guess it isn’t. Like the juicer, right? It’s not really about that?”

“Nah.”

“Be straight with me,” she said after another moment of no sound apart from the rhythmic peeling and her clattering with a few trays for the oven. “Did you get him the juicer?”

Mark shrugged, but shot her a smile over his shoulder.

“It’s not what’s important, is it?”

Despite not having counted on guests they kept everything at a comfortable pace, slowly working their way up to the early afternoon, when it was already getting dark outside. By the time they sat down for christmas dinner they were all good and hungry, and for a few minutes there was no talking while they all enjoyed their food. Then Robert broke out the christmas ale and conversation started flowing more enthusiastically again. It was cozy, and Inkeri realized she didn’t mind the company, it still felt familiar and warm to sit here and eat together.

After slowly clearing the table they moved into the living room, bringing a few more bottles and a big tray of christmas treats. Fernando was in the middle of an embarrassing story about an ‘old co-worker’ of theirs who he refused to call by name when there was a loud ‘thunk’, and the room was cast into darkness.

“Damnit.”

“What is going on?”

“The power has gone out,” Robert said with a sigh, and Inkeri heard him get up. While she shook her phone to turn on the flashlight, there was a spark of light from the fireplace where Robert had struck a match and started to get a fire going.

“It will not heat the whole house but it is something.”

“Hope it’s nothing major,” Inkeri said, leaving for the kitchen and coming back with a few of the candle holders, lighting candles here and there to bring some light to the room.

“Good thing we already ate,” Mark said, leaning back to get comfortable again. “Are we gonna need blankets or something?”

“You’re taking this pretty well?” Inkeri had trouble keeping an impressed tone out of her voice; having grown up around drivers, she knew they were adrenaline-driven and not opposed to appearing tough. She also knew, however, that a lot of them were quite fond of the comfortable lives their profession brought.

“I like a bit of roughin’ it, going camping and all that.”

“All of Australia is ‘roughing it’,” Fernando said with a snicker, making air-quotes. “When it is hot, it is hotter even than back home, and when it is cold, it is freezing.”

“It’s never _freezing_ , mate!”

“Is close enough!”

“Alright, children,” Inkeri chastised, earning her a snicker from Robert, “I don’t think we’ll need blankets but if the power stays off, it’ll get a little chilly upstairs.”

“The wood stove in the kitchen works too, we can keep the downstairs hot enough,” Robert said. “Can you believe, when I buy the house the stove was full of flowers!”

A moment of stunned silence met the statement.

“What?” Mark finally asked.

“They’d made it into a flower arrangement,” Inkeri explained. Robert struck his hands out.

“It was full of flowers!”

There was silence for a few more seconds, then, whether because it was such a strange situation or because they’d all drunk a fair bit of ale by now, Fernando started laughing. Mark soon joined him, and in front of the warming fire, conversation soon resumed.

“Should we open the presents?” Robert suggested after a while. The power still hadn’t come back on, but they were better off than he had first feared. Being well-fed and not afraid of the dark certainly helped, but the fire was keeping the room well heated and they had plenty of wood.

To general agreement, Fernando and Robert got onto the floor and took the parcels they had placed under the tree out. Since Fernando and Mark had only had part of their shopping with them, Inkeri was glad she and Robert hadn’t gone too crazy with gifts. Robert handed her a package and took one for himself, while Fernando eyed a pretty big box Mark had written his name on.

“Go on,” Mark urged. Fernando didn’t need much more prompting, but set to work peeling the tape up and getting the paper off. Inkeri set to work on her own present, finding exactly the fancy, leather-bound dayplanner she had wished for, complete with the set of four rather fancy ergonomic pens.

“You didn’t have to get the pens too,” she said, leaning down to kiss Robert never the less. “Thank you.”

Beside Robert, Fernando had stilled with his huge box in front of him.

“You don’t like it?” Mark asked from the couch, actually sounding a little concerned.

“... you have still bought the juice machine?” Fernando said, his voice small and unsure. It was so unlike him that Robert stopped mid-unwrap to look over at him.

“Of course mate, I knew you wanted it.”

“But you made jokes and said we do not need...”

“That doesn’t matter,” Mark dismissed. “I knew you wanted it.”

Stroking the box like he was reluctant to leave it, Fernando still got up from the floor and gave Mark a hug and a kiss.

It stopped snowing some time during the night, and the morning after the power was back on. Everything in the fridge had handled the time without electricity well enough, and in the early afternoon they heard the first snow plow going by outside. By the time they had cleared the drive enough to get the car out Fernando had double- and triple-confirmed that their tickets had been transferred and that flights would actually be taking off today.

Robert and Inkeri said goodbye to their guests, and it didn’t escape her that Robert and Fernando gave each other a warm hug before Fernando hurried for the car. It might have stopped snowing, but it was still very cold outside. Waving them off, Robert and Inkeri hurried back inside too and drew a collective deep breath.

“I hope they get home safe,” Inkeri said. Robert leaned in to nudge her with his shoulder.

“They will be fine. I happen to know that they are both pretty good at driving.”

“Pretty good?”

“Yeah, pretty good, pretty okay,” he said, making a hesitant face that had her laughing.

“You know, Mark probably apologized for intruding on our christmas half a dozen times.”

“Yeah, Fernando did too,” Robert admitted.

“It was nice though.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “And having it be just us two for christmas, that’s not what was important.”

“No. It was kind of nice though, having the fire going and everything,” she said, looking towards the living room.

“You bring down the blankets, I will start the fire,” Robert decided. “Christmas doesn’t matter, it’s going to be the two of us for as long as you will have me.”

There was nothing more to say, so she kissed him, first on the cheek and then on the mouth, and smiled to herself as she got the blankets and pillows down. Playing house was all good and fine, but few things could beat a nice blanket-nest, especially one with hot chocolate and somebody you loved.

\- The End -

**Author's Note:**

> All in good fun, as per usual! <3  
> Thanks for the read! :)


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